I buy my sugar, Crisco, vegetable oil, McCormick's vanilla and almond extract from Sam's club. I buy my cake mixes from Walmart unless they are on sale somewhere for less than $1.25 which is the price at Walmart. I make MMF, but buy black, red and brown fondant online at sweetwise or fondant source. If you buy things online, be sure to figure in the shipping and handling charges because it can make things MUCH more expensive.

Thank you! Can I ask why you use box mixes and not make your own? Isn't it more expensive to do that? Like I said, I'm brand-new to all of this and want to be as budget friendly as possible without comprimising quality.

I use boxed mixes because people love them. I used the WASC recipe in the beginning and got complaints about the cake being dry (even after using a syrup on the cakes) and too dense. No more - boxed mixes bake perfectly every time, light and fluffy, and I've NEVER had a single complaint. I even use them for my carved cakes - cars, trucks, handbags, etc. I sell what people like and want to buy - it's financially smart.